12/07/2017
WFXT
By Stephanie Coueignoux
A local company has created a jewelry collection you'd find in a department store, but the technology inside can help save your life.
InvisaWear's Lowell headquarters feel more like a boutique than a cutting-edge company, but there is more than meets the eye to the gold chains and charms. Inside, are a patent-pending chip that silently signal for help.
"You can't really look at the attacker and say, hey! one moment, I'm just going to dial 911 and have the police come get you," said Rajia Abdelaziz.
Abdelaziz says she came up with the idea when she was a student at UMass Lowell and a man sitting next to her picked up the pepper spray on her keychain.
"In that moment, I realized that guy was holding a weapon and I was the one who gave it to him," said Abdelaziz.
She says she wanted to find another way to protect herself, but only found bulky panic buttons. That's when she and co-creator Ray Hamilton realized there was a market for a more stylish safety device.
"The app knows your location the same way the Find Your iPhone app knows your location and then it sends a text message to your friends and family with your exact location," said Abdelaziz. Watch the segment on WFXT.
The app also connects your contacts with local police, no matter where you are.
"Let's say you have an InvisaWear and you're traveling to work in California, you press the button and I'm your emergency contact back here in Boston, what happens is I will be routed to the correct dispatch center in California closest to your location," said Hamilton.
One piece of jewelry will cost $129, but if you pre-order online, you get a discount.
They expect to launch their product in time for Valentines Day and hope to expand to a men's line, as well.
For more information on InvisaWear, click here.
